Testimonials
On behalf of Jobs West staff we found the Personal Safety and Awareness Course to be informative and very interesting. The instruction and details given were very helpful and covered numerous subjects which was great.
Many of our staff are interested in pursuing aikido as a leisure activity thus reflecting on the impact of the course.
Many of the 'moves' taught will be useful for each person, if an incident is ever to occur. A lot of what was taught were seen to work and therefore of more interest to staff.
We feel that everyone that participated has taken 'a little something' from this.
Many thanks for the informative and helpful workshop.
Kind regards
Joel Warner
Youth Pathways Coordinator
Counseling & Transitions Services Department
JOBS WEST
Initially I started aikido because of my parents and their over-protectiveness of letting their daughter out into the big wide scary world. But the thing that made me continue training was not the fact that I got to throw around big buff guys (which is really cool, don't get me wrong) but the fact that the principles of aikido were affecting the other aspects of my life.
For example, I am much less stressed out when it comes to doing my homework and exams. Also, concentrating on the technique during training and also throwing people around is great for relieving stress and especially good for people of my age where you can get stressed really easily.
Girls might become intimidated by the fact that it is such a masculine thing and think that it's just a bunch of testosterone fuelled hot heads running around doing karate chops on each other? But aikido is not like that! Our way is the way of harmony, of balancing the body, mind and spirit. But don't think it is anything like tai chi. Aikido is physically challenging so it is great for fitness as well. Being in year eleven, I don't have much time to do a lot of sport because I am in lots of other things so three times a week I do aikido which helps me keep fit as well.
As well as keeping my stress at bay and keeping me relatively fit, aikido at our dojo is really enjoyable because we have a friendly class and everyone is willing to help out when you are stuck with something. Also, after the Japanese sensei's recent visit, I think I am going to get a lot more out of aikido, trying for the big black!
- Yuki Takeshima
"When you tell people you do a martial art, most people automatically think of karate or tae-kwon-do. I chose Aikido because it was not as well-known as other martial arts and I liked the philosophy that Aikido represents. It's not a fighting, beat 'em up type of sport.
I originally began Aikido with the idea of improving my health and fitness and learning some self-defence along the way. It was also a cool idea as not many girls do it (but they should!). But since beginning training, I have learnt so much more. I am a fairly quiet person and I feel my confidence has improved since beginning training and especially now since I have been helping out with the kid's class. Aikido not only challenges you physically, but it also challenges you mentally. It is certainly a great feeling when I have thrown an 85kg plus man across the mats with minimal effort!
I nearly lost Aikido during a difficult time in my personal life and looking back, I probably should have stuck with Aikido at the time. Now I am just glad that I came back to it. Mentally, it has helped me immensely in becoming a more focussed, relaxed and less stressed person. My friends have commented to me how much of a calm and level-headed person I am and believe it is due to my Aikido training.
Being female and lighter than the men, it can sometimes be difficult to get a technique correct. But that is the challenge and is what makes it fun for me. The men might make it look easy, and for them it might be because they are physically stronger and heavier. The challenge is taking the techniques and making them work for me on different people and when I get a technique working I know it is not because I am using strength or using force, it is because I am doing it correctly. Aikido is not a competitive martial art and I've learnt that the only person you need to compete with is yourself to continually improve physically and mentally.
My initial goals of improving health and fitness are being definitely met through Aikido but I now realise I have achieved so much more than that and all of these aspects are why I enjoy and continue to train in Aikido."